Come January 1, CMS will begin enforcing new price transparency requirements for hospitals. Experts doubt that these regulations will do much to help patients shop for care, but they are optimistic that increasing the amount of publicly available pricing data will help tech companies develop tools that simplify pricing for patients.
Experts aren’t sure what the outcome of the DOJ’s recent lawsuit against the proposed UnitedHealth Group/Amedisys merger will be under the incoming Trump administration. The Biden administration has focused more on supporting clinicians, while the previous Trump administration favored corporations. Additionally, one expert noted that this case differs from other antitrust lawsuits because it does not seem to focus on a potential price increase.
The progress in artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping patient care, across various dimensions, from facilitating faster discharge to curating treatment plans and suggesting lifestyle changes.
To address the complicated healthcare landscape in the U.S., Pfizer launched a new direct-to-consumer virtual service called PfizerForAll. It follows Eli Lilly, which launched a similar product in January.
CVS Health overtook Walgreens as the most popular drugstore retailer, a new report found. However, there is no saying for sure if CVS will keep this lead.
Humana is leasing clinical space at 23 Walmart Supercenter retail stores. The move is logical for the insurer as it builds out its senior primary care business, experts say.
Walgreens’ financial performance is still rocky, but experts agree there is a good chance that CEO Tim Wentworth can lead the company to recovery. To make this happen, Walgreens will have to let go of its retail clinic dreams and focus more on making its core pharmacy business as strong as possible.
As technology advances, AI-powered tools will increasingly reduce the administrative burdens on healthcare providers.
Walmart’s decision to shutter its healthcare division reflects just how difficult it is to achieve profitability in the primary care and telehealth markets. Experts think retailers simply aren’t prepared to handle the bevy of challenges that come along with delivering healthcare — but could this news also be a sign of the system being broken?
Optum is shutting down its virtual care unit after a three-year run. Industry experts agree that the closure reflects broader trends in the telehealth market, in which saturation and differentiation challenges are leading some providers to struggle.
Q1 2024 saw a significant rise in the number of hospital M&A deals compared to the past three Q1s. Experts believe this M&A activity will continue to climb throughout this year and next — motivated by both financial distress and hospitals’ desire to improve strategic business lines like value-based care and digital healthcare services.
Most hospitals and payers have publicly posted their pricing information, but experts think that data will remain mostly useless for consumers for at least another five years. Now that the data is available, healthcare software companies must step in and build tools that are personalized and easy to use. That way, consumers can eventually use price transparency data to shop for care.
Closing cancer health equity gaps require medical breakthroughs made possible by new funding approaches.
Healthcare-focused market research firm Trilliant Health published a report detailing the 10 most significant economic trends affecting U.S. healthcare stakeholders in 2023. Some of the main ideas covered in the report included Americans’ worsening physical and mental health, the industry’s shift away from traditional care pathways, and the way patients' decision making is becoming increasingly driven by consumerism.
The DEA recently released proposed rules that would require an in-person visit before a patient can receive a telehealth prescription for a controlled substance. The DEA touts the change as a way to ensure patient safety, but several telehealth advocates argue it will greatly disrupt access for those who need the drugs — especially at a time when the mental health and substance use crisis is growing.
Trilliant Health created a new AI-powered index for comparative hospital benchmarking. Healthcare stakeholders across the entire industry — including hospitals, payers, device companies, drugmakers and tech vendors — can use the tool to inform their strategies for things like competitive analysis, clinical quality program management, mergers, acquisitions and product sales.
The health system has invested an undisclosed amount in Trilliant Health, which provides a predictive analytics platform giving users insights into market dynamics. Bon Secours Mercy Health is also a founding member of another healthcare data company: Truveta.